COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men's Basketball (4-1) defeated the Morehead State Eagles, 70-52, on Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers are now 4-1 for the first time since the 2017-18 season, and have won at least four of their opening five games in six of the previous 10 seasons. Mizzou handed Morehead State (4-1) its first loss of the season, while extending the all-time series lead to 3-0.

The Tigers and the Eagles went back and forth for much of the first half, until Mizzou surged to halftime on a 9-0 run to lead the contest 36-29. The Tigers shined on the offensive glass in the first half, grabbing 11 boards, a season-high in a half. Freshman Tray Jackson added production off the bench for the Tigers, recording a career-high seven points in the first half alone.

The Tigers stayed hot to open the second half continuing on 18-2 run. Junior Mark Smith started the half with consecutive scores, including his third shot from beyond the arc. Smith led Mizzou on Wednesday night with a season-high 21 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field.   

The exceptional defensive efforts continued again for Mizzou, as the Tigers held Morehead State to under 40 percent shooting from the field, and forced 16 turnovers for the second straight contest. The Tigers extended their streak of holding opponents to 63 or fewer points to five-straight. That is the longest streak to open the season since the 1951-52 team held opponents below the mark for the first eight games of the season.

TURNING POINT

Freshman Kobe Brown forced a steal and finished a layup in transition in the final seconds of the first half to complete a 9-0 run for a 36-29 lead. Mizzou came out on fire again in the second half, extending to an 18-2 run, following consecutive buckets from Mark Smith. The Tigers cruised to the finish line, pushing the lead out to 18 for the 70-52 victory.   

TOP TIGERS

• Redshirt freshman Parker Braun played a high-energy 11 minutes off the bench, posting career highs in rebounds (four) and blocks (two).
• Junior Mark Smith led the Tigers with 21 points on the night, a season-high. Smith also grabbed eight boards, seven on the defensive end in the contest.  
• Redshirt junior Dru Smith was all over the stat sheet for the Tigers, putting up 11 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a steal. He has now recorded a steal in 17-consecutive appearances.
• Freshman Tray Jackson finished with a career-high seven points, recording them in the first half for the Tigers. Jackson also recorded two rebounds.

NOTES

• Mizzou has now held opponents to 63 or fewer points in five consecutive games to start the season. This marks the first time that's been done since 1951-1952 when the Tigers did so in eight straight games.
• Mizzou is now 19-0 under Martin when holding opponents to under 60 points, and has now held opponents under 70 points 43 times in Martin's 70 games as head coach at the school.
• Freshman forward Parker Braun tallied a career high two blocks on the night. The freshman has now recorded a block in back-to-back contests. Braun also set a career-high in rebounds with four. 
• Mizzou had a season-best 15 offensive rebounds, including 11 in the first half. The 15 offensive rebounds were the most in a game for Mizzou since tallying 16 last season vs. Arkansas (Feb. 12). 
• Mizzou held Morehead State to its lowest first-half scoring of the season at 29 points. The Tigers also held Morehead State to its lowest total scoring output of the season (previous low was 76). Morehead State had its lowest scoring half of the season in the second half, scoring just 23 points.
• Mizzou dominated in the paint, outscoring Morehead State 36-20 underneath.
• Redshirt junior guard Dru Smith has been pesky on defense, forcing a steal in 17 consecutive games dating back to his time at Evansville. 
• Dru Smith has also been getting after it on the boards, grabbing at least nine rebounds for the second time this season. He had done so only once in his college career prior to coming to Mizzou.
• On the offensive side, Dru Smith dished out five assists for the third time this season and the 17th time in his college career. He now has an assist in 47 straight games.
• Dru Smith is the first Mizzou player to have 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a game since Earnest Ross did so against Vanderbilt (Jan. 6, 2014).
• Mizzou forced 12 turnovers in the first half, matching a season-high in a half this season (Nov. 6 vs. Incarnate Word).
• Sophomore guard Javon Pickett set a season-high with three assists on the night.
• Pickett grabbed five rebounds for the eighth time in his career and second time this season.
• Freshman forward Kobe Brown has made his presence felt on defense, forcing a steal in four of the first five games this season. Brown also tallied his first career block on Wednesday night. 
• Junior guard Mark Smith lead all scorers with 21 on the night. It is a season-high for the junior and the fourth time in his career scoring at least 20 points in a game. Mizzou is 5-2 when he scores at least 19 points in a game.
• Smith was also active on the glass, setting a season-high in rebounds with seven. It was the third time in his career that Smith had at least 20 points and five rebounds in a game.
• The Tigers were 20-of-23 from the free throw line Wednesday night, a season-high. The last time Mizzou hit the 20-mark from the charity strike dated back to last season, when the Tigers converted 24 from the line against Georgia in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.

UP NEXT

Mizzou Men's Basketball travels to Kansas City, Mo., next Monday, Nov. 25, for the annual Hall of Fame Classic. The Tigers will take on the Butler Bulldogs in the first semifinal at the Sprint Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT, with the game being broadcast on ESPNU.

Either Stanford or Oklahoma awaits the Tigers on the second day of the tournament.

For all the latest on Mizzou's Men's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouHoops.